Forbes 50 Over 50: Meet Some Black Women In Tech Who Made The List
Forbes has unveiled its third annual 50 over 50 list, highlighting dynamic female leaders and entrepreneurs who have achieved significant success later in life.
Let’s meet some Black women over 50 making moves in tech and proving that success has no age limit.
Brenda Darden Wilkerson – President and CEO of AnitaB.org
Wilderson, 63, founded the nonprofit AnitaB.org, which aims to diversify tech by bringing in more women and nonbinary talent.
She began the role at age 57 after spending eight years with Chicago Public Schools and has now boosted her organization’s membership from 1,600 to more than 75,000 women in technology worldwide.
She also founded the original Computer Science for All program which builds computer science classes into the curriculum for every student in the Chicago Public Schools. She also inspired the Obama Administration national initiative of the same name.
Lisa Skeete Tatum – CEO of Landit
Tatum, 55, is the founder and CEO of Landit, a personalized career pathing platform created to increase the success and engagement of women and diverse groups in the workplace.
The platform offers a turn-key “one size fits one” solution, enabling companies to attract, develop and retain diverse high-potential talent.
The company launched in 2017 when Tatum turned 50.
She has also raised over $20 million from blue-chip firms and partnered with Metlife, Pfizer, Workday, and many more.
Mae Jemison – Founder of 100-Year Starship
Jemison, 66, is at the forefront of the 100-Year Starship Initiative that aims to accelerate the innovations required to get humans to travel to the stars.
She launched the initiative in 2011, when she was 55 years old, with funding from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects agency after becoming the first African American woman to travel to space in 1992.
Jessie Woolley-Wilson – CEO Of DreamBox Learning
Wolley-Wilson, 60, has been president and CEO of DreamBox Learning, an ed-tech platform for children, since 2010.
It teaches them math and reading skills through a platform that looks more like a video game or animated movie.
This year also Woolley-Wilson became CEO, and Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings & Charter Fund acquired the company.
TPF later took a majority position, and in 2021, Elliot acquired the majority stake.
She is also qualified to break new markets, accelerate market share expansion, and increase revenue.
Kim Folsom – Founder, Chair & CEO of Founders First Capital Partners
Folsom, 62, is a high-tech executive and serial entrepreneur who founded Founders First Capital Partners, the most significant minority and women-owned small and medium-sized businesses lender.
She additionally founded Founders First Community Development Corporation, a small business growth accelerator, and, last year, partnered with Vice President Kamala Harris’ office to deploy $10 billion to help small businesses.
Under her leadership, the Social Democratic Federation rolled out a first-of-its-kind global on and off-ramp service for digital wallets to bridge the gap between cash and crypto.
